Wrench having a spring-biased pivoted outer jaw adjustable in a slotted guide



Dec. 14, 1965 M. HOUDESHELDT 3,222,958

WRENCH HAVING A SPRING-BIASED PIVOTED OUTER JAW ADJUSTABLE IN A SLOTTED GUIDE Filed Aug. 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Marf/n L. Houdeshe/df yMg MM ATTORNEY OUDESHELDT 3,222,958 NG-BIASED PIVOTED OUTER JAW IN A SLOTTED GUIDE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 14, 1965 M. L. H WRENCH HAVING A SPRI ADJUSTABLE Filed Aug. 5, 1964 vat w Ewv mm mm 8 INVENTOR Mari/n, L. Houaeshe/af ATTORNEY United States Patent 3 222,958 WRENCH HAVING A SPRING-BIASED PIVOTED OUTER JAW ADJUSTABLE IN A SLOTTED GUIDE Martin L. Houdesheldt, Garden Grove, Iowa Filed Aug. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 387,582 4 Claims. (Cl. 81-109) This invention relates to a roll on pipe wrench and has for an object to provide an improved wrench particularly intended for use on a pipe or other round object, but which may also be readily used on a nut or other polygonal shaped object.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a wrench having an adjustable jaw which is readily and quickly adjusted to a desired position by manipulating the adjustable jaw member relative to a handle jaw shank, and further, wherein the adjustable jaw may be yieldably held in adjusted position, and still further, wherein the adjustable jaw, when in adjusted position, is yieldably biased to a jaw engaging position on a pipe or other object, whereby the cooperating jaws may be rolled into operative position.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the wrench in pipe engaging position.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the shank end jaw.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view on a small scale showing how the adjustable jaw is manipulated for adjustment.

There is shown at 10 the roll on pipe wrench of this invention. This wrench 10 consists of a shank 12 having a jaw 14 at one end thereof, and a somewhat C or U shaped jaw member 16 adjustably mounted on the shank 12 in cooperative relationship to the jaw 14, so that the jaws may be rolled onto a pipe 18 in cooperative relation thereon as shown in FIG. 1.

The somewhat C or U shaped jaw member 16 is provided with a jaw 20 on the inner surface of its leg 22 adjacent the leg end 24, the jaw consisting of transversely extending sharpened teeth 26 slanting inwardly toward the bight 28 of the U of the jaw member 16. The end of the other leg 30 is bifurcated to provide bifurcations 32 which straddle the shank 12, and bifurcations 32 are provided with pivot receiving aligned apertures 34 through which is secured a pivot member 36, such as a bolt and nut, rivet, or other suitable pivot pin.

The pivot 36 also extends through a transversely elongate slot 38 in the portion of the shank 12 which is straddled by the bifurcations 32.

A plurality of spaced apart notched seats 40, preferably rounded, as shown, complementary to the pivot 36 which will bear thereagainst when in operative position, extend into the wall 42 of the elongate slot 38, and between the pivot 36 and the other slot wall 44, there is provided an elongate leaf spring 46 mounted in suitable slots in the end walls 48 of the slot 38. As apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, this leaf spring 46 yields to permit the pivot 36 to be shifted from one notched seat 40 to any selected other notched seat 40 and then yieldably holds the pivot 36 in the selected notched seat 40.

A bowed leaf spring 50 is secured by studs 52 to that elongate edge 54 of the shank 12 that is straddled by the jaw member bifurcations 32. This bowed leaf spring 50 is biased against the bight 56 formed by the U of 3,222,958 Patented Dec. 14, 1965 the bifurcations 32 to urge it toward operative position, as shown in FIG. 1, but yields to permit adjustment of the jaw member 16, as shown in FIG. 3.

The jaw end of shank 12 is transversely bifurcated to provide bifurcations 58 having aligned pivot receiving apertures 60 to receive a pivot 62 extending through a pivot aperture 64 in a tongue 66 extending from the slightly rounded back 68 of the shank jaw 14. Both pivots 36 and 62 may be bolts and nuts, as shown so that the jaw member 16 of jaw 14 may be readily removed and replaced when worn, although, of course, any other suitable type of pivot may be used. The slightly rounded back 68 of the jaw 14 and its pivot connection at 62 permits a slight adjustment of this jaw 14 as it is moved into engaging position. The teeth 70 on jaw 14 are sharpened and slant in a downward direction, as compared to the upward direction of the teeth 26 of the other jaw 20, as viewed in FIGS. 1, 3 and 7, and thus cooperate to provide a better grip on the pipe 18. Beyond the straddled portion of shank 12, a handle 72, possibly knurled as at 74, is provided for handling the wrench 10.

In operation, the adjustable jaw member 16 is moved to the desired position by grasping it in the right hand 76 while holding the handle 72 in the left hand 78 and pressing the pivot 36 out of its notched seat against the leaf spring 46, thus also pressing the bifurcation bight 56 against the bowed spring 50, as shown in FIG. 3, thus enabling the pivot 36 to be moved to any other selected notched seat 40 to thus adjust the relative distance between the jaws 20 and 14. The jaws are then rolled on over the pipe 18 for gripping it.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A Wrench comprising an elongate shank, a transversely extending jaw on one end of said shank, said shank having an elongate slot extending transversely therethrough, a plurality of spaced apart notched seats in one elongate wall of said slot, and a somewhat U-shaped adjustable jaw member, a transversely extending jaw on the inner side of one leg of said U-shaped jaw member adjacent the end of said leg, the other leg of said U- shaped jaw member being bifurcated and having its bifurcations straddling said elongate shank and said notched wall of its elongate slot, said jaw member bifurcations having aligned pivot apertures extending transversely therethrough, and a pivot member extending through said bifurcation pivot apertures and said shank elongate slot, said pivot member being seatable in any selected notched seat to adjustably space said jaw of said adjustable U- shaped jaw member in cooperative relation to said shank end jaw, and a bowed leaf spring mounted on the elongate shank edge straddled by said adjustable jaw bifurcations and biased against the bight of the U formed by said bifurcations, and the opposite ends of said bowed leaf spring being fixedly secured to the elongate shank edge.

2. The wrench defined in claim 1, the jaw end of said shank being bifurcated and having aligned pivot apertures extending transversely through its bifurcations, said transversely extending jaw having a transversely apertured tongue extending into the slot between said jaw end bifurcations and a pivot member extending through said latter jaw and said latter bifurcations somewhat pivotally mounting said jaw on said shank end.

3. The wrench defined in claim 1, and a leaf spring mounted longitudinally in said shank elongate slot yieldably urging said pivot member into any selected notch seat, and the opposite ends of said leaf spring being fixedly secured to the adjacent ends of said elongate slot.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the bight of the U formed by said bifurcations is convex along its full length for engagement with said bowed leaf spring mounted on the elongate shank edge straddled by said adjustable jaw bifurcations and thereby facilitates pivotal movement of said jaw relative to said shank.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 463,263 11/1891 Wilson 81--110 464,238 12/1891 Atkin 81--109 2,503,784 4/1950 Warman 81-110 4 FOREIGN PATENTS 960,447 10/1949 France. 278,376 10/1913 Germany.

5 References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS 758,568 4/ 1904 Snediker. 771,169 9/ 1904 McKercher. 10 1,115,439 10/1914 Klein.

1,298,663 4/ 1919 Chevalier. 1,368,966 2/ 1921 Ooley. 2,050,102 8/ 1936 Kujala et a1.

15 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. A WRENCH COMPRISING AN ELONGATED SHANK, A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING JAW ON ONE END OF SAID SHANK, SAID SHANK HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THERETHROUGH, A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART NOTCHED SEATS IN ONE ELONGATE WALL OF SAID SLOT, AND A SOMEWHAT U-SHAPED ADJUSTABLE JAW MEMBER, A TRASVERSELY EXTENDING JAW ON THE INNER SIDE OF ONE LEG OF SAID U-SHAPED JAW MEMBER ADJACENT THE END OF SAID LEG, THE OTHER LEG OF SAID USHAPED JAW MEMBER BEING BIFURCATED AND HAVING ITS BIFURCATIONS STRADDLING SAID ELONGATE SHANK AND SAID NOTCHED WALL OF ITS ELONGATE SLOT, SAID JAW MEMBER BIFURCATIONS HAVING ALIGNED PIVOT APERTURES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THERETHROUGH, AND A PIVOT MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BIFURCATION PIVOT APERTURES AND SAID SHANK ELONGATE SLOT, SAID PIVOT MEMBER BEING SEATABLE IN ANY SELECTED NOTCHED SEAT TO ADJUSTABLY SPACE SAID JAW OF SAID ADJUSTABLE USHAPED JAW MEMBER IN COOPERATIVE RELATION TO SAID SHANK END JAW, AND A BOWED LEAF SPRING MOUNTED ON THE ELONGATE SHANK EDGE STRADDLE BY SAID ADJUSTABLE JAW BIFURCATIONS AND BIASED AGAINST THE BIGHT OF THE U FORMED BY SAID BIFURCATIONS, AND THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID BOWED LEAF SPRING BEING FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE ELONGATE SHANK EDGE. 